by Doug Stowe

Created on: January 22, 2007   Last Updated: May 11, 2007

Is There One True Religion Which Is Better Than All The Others?

At the outset, I must state that I am a Deist; that is, a spiritual soul without portfolio. Whether this state of mind contributes to or detracts from objectivity, I do not know. I do, however claim some knowledge of mankind and its ways, having lived through the biggest global shoot-em-ups, both literal and figurative, in recorded history. I have read and witnessed how humanity's ingrained need for a big cosmic hug, has morphed itself time and again from humble faith into a thing of vanity, greed, lust all the seven deadly sins of the theologians and more. And so, the subject being one that I cannot pass by without comment, I dare to offer my finite observations on the question of whether or not there is one right religion, ancient or modern, eastern or occidental, among those practiced in the world today.

Long, long ago, shortly after man had domesticated a few animals, turned some soil for planting and ceased his nomadic ways by erecting that first un-mortgaged but tenuous dwelling, he quite often found himself with a little extra time on his hands in the evenings. There being no TSN or crossword puzzles, he set his mind adrift to wander where it may. It came back with the vestiges of culture seminal art and dance, more complex forms of communication, the footings of engineering and other controls of one's immediate environment. The pragmatism of community and its collective protection dawned on him, and with this enlightenment came the need for rules of conduct so that precious productive time wasn't spent in bickering and he did not have to fear seeing the Gork brothers dragging his wife off by the hair with thuggish impunity.

And as he acquired more, and consequently had more to lose, when the vista from his doorway was the same each morning, when life took on a certain cyclical drudgery and extended itself beyond a mere handful of years, the spiritual niggling began - "Who and what am I?", "What happens when I die?", "Why do the crops witherwas it something I said or did?". Alas, to the fledgling brain, still to reach its full three pound fighting weight, it was all a bit much. And yet, there was a profound need for comfort, if not immediate, at least for some time in the future when toil and travail returned to dust.

From earliest times, no one wanted to be the one to be blamed for a mistake"ooops, I dropped the deer in the lake - sorry!". The consequences were often dire, from exile to taking

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